“hijr-o-visāl-e-yār kā parda uThā diyā

ḳhud baḌh ke ishq ne mujhe merā patā diyā.”

°°°°

"Papa."

"Papa."

"Please don't go papa...."

Thud!

She fell off the bed and landed right on the floor, she winced in pain her back hurting from the sudden inversion. She opened her eyes grudgingly and got up from the floor. When someone started knocking on her door.

"Zee open the door, Zee?"

She heard her mother's worried yet strict voice. Walking towards the door she looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her hairs.

"Good Morning Ma!"

Zee greeted her mother and hugged her sideways.

"Zee why did you lock the door?"

"Ma i was changing clothes last night and forget to unlock the door."

"Its okay Zee. Now come have your breakfast we're getting late after all its your first day in university."

Zee just nodded and walked back in her room to freshen up.

She walked out of the bathroom wearing a simple black shirt and a pair of black tights, droplets of water falling on her back and tracing the skin of her neck. She stood Infront of mirror and looked at her reflection....she was not a goddess look alike or an extremely beautiful girl instead she was a very odd girl. She has ginger reddish brown hair (thanks to her European ancestry), her eyes are a mixture of hazel & black and her skin is wheatish and fair. She was always the centre of attraction not because sje was painfully beautiful but because of her hairs which are extremely beautiful they shine in sunlight and in moonlight they look calmer as the sea till the wind blows.

She put on her makeup and then looking one final time at her reflection in mirror. She walked out to have her breakfast.

"Ma i will go by myself." Zee said eating her toast.

"Zee you're going with me its final." Her mother's tone was strict which means no more discussion.

"Ma but you are Professor Their and i don't want anyone to think that I've got some privileg over them."

Zee put back her toast in the plate getting frustrated.

"Zee."

"Ma. I've changed my university only for you and now you are not allowing me to have a little freedom. Why don't you trust me?"

Her mother's hands tightened on the glassbof water.

"Zee I'm waiting for you in the car."

Her mother got up from her sit and walked out of the scene.

Zee just hold her head in frustration. She didn't wanted to upset her mother. She cursed herself and walked towards the car.

***

Zee was standing in the corridor moving from one side to other side trying to find her class but thats of no use.

"Hello Miss I'm looking you're going here and there from the past fifteen minutes. Is there any problem."

A guy came behind here and placed his hand on her shoulder to draw her attention.

"Yes i couldn't find my department." Zee said twisting her hands and rubbing them in frustration.

"Umm you're department?" The guy had sensed her tension.

"Law.... I'm doing masters in Law." Zee replied

"You're also from law department? What a coincidence I'm also doing my masters in law. Come I'll show you the way around."

Zee looked at him with a thankful smile.

"Hey.... I'm sorry i forget to ask your name?"

The guy smiled and said, "I'm Varun Dahiya and what's your good name pretty lady?" Varun said extending his hand.

"I'm Zee Joseph." Zee said handshaking with him.

They both entered in the class Talking about random stuffs both of them were laughing on a joke which Varun had cracked. Varun stopped laughing when someone smacked on his shoulder.

"Easy Lara. What hell are you doing?"

Lara took Varun's hand and took him on the side.

"Whose that girl?" Lara raced her eyebrows in question, meanwhile her eyes daggering death glares on him.

"She's a new admission Zee Joseph. She was looking around for the class and i just showed her the way around."

Lara looked a little bit relaxed and then walked towards zee whose looking at them in Confusion.

"Ohh hi I'm Lara. Varun's girlfriend."

Lara greeted Zee but there's a hidden warning in her extra sweet voice which say, back off he's my man.

"Hi I'm Zee Joseph. By the way you both look so beautiful together."

Zee replied her with an assuring tone which says, I'm not a threat girl so chill.

Seeing this scene going on, the whole group of Lara and Varun circled around the three of them.

Zee looked at them in Confusion and Lara took it on herself to introduce to her to the the whole group.

"Hey Guys this is Zee. And Zee they're clowns."

Lara's voice was full of mischief and Varun started laughing.

"Hey Zee leave this love birds. I'm Aisha, this Tanya and that's Aditya. You've already met Lara and Varun." Aisha was a hijabi girl and Zee just nodded in her Direction distancing herself from her. Aisha felt a bit embarrassed so she didn't said anything and walked back to her sit.

Zee also had met the whole class and she had only felt comfortable in Talking with Varun's group.

The whole class was now filled with students and they were waiting for the professor to come in. The whole class stood up when someone came in the classroom. Zee who was looking outside the window, jolted up from her sit when she heard a deep manly and authoritative tone.

"Hello Class I'm Dawood Qureshi. I'll be taking your lecture. Sharma sir had some personal issues that's Why he isn't here."

Zee's eyes fixed on the man who was standing Their with all the authority and dominating the whole classroom. He was wearing a white shirt and dark blue denim jeans. Few strands of short wavy hairs were teasing his forehead and his eyes, they are shade of brown which was now blazing with fire like Zee's fiery red head, his jaw clenched and then zee saw her aks in his eyes.

"Miss Zahiah Joseph. Will you please sit down?"

Zee looked at the man who dared to call her by her real name, the same man who made her stare at man species for the very first time.

Dawood raised an eyebrow when zee didn't answered nor sit down. Zee looked at his arching brows and then unintentionally her gaze fixed on his lips. She clenched her thighs in anticipation, she didn't knew What the heck is happening with her.

She sat down on her chair with head down and the whole lecture passed in blur. She didn't had the guts to look up and Dawood also hadn't asked her anything.

When the lecture got over and the whole class getting out, she was left alone their. Varun and his group left earlier. They tried to bring her with them but she wasn't Talking with them and they thought maybe she wanted to be left alone after her disastrous encounter with Dawood.

***

Dawood walked back in the class he had forget some documents their when he entered in the class he saw Zahiah Sitting their with her head down, the same position she had sat in the lecture.

He thought maybe she's upset, so he walked towards her table and sat beside her.

Zahiah felt a presence behind her and sandalwood cologne hits her nostrils it was soothing and calming, she was drawing toward it like a moth. She looked at beside her and saw Dawood. He was sitting so close to her she can saw every features on his face.... those unruled black hairs, those brown eyes that still has her aks in them and her eyes fell on his lips which are now smiling, she saw a dimple on his right cheek and her mind appreciated him. He was indeed a work of art.

"Zahiah."

Dawood said with a low tone waving a hand Infront of Zahiah who was staring at her without moving her eyelashes a bit.

"Umm Hmmm."

Zahiah moved her eyes away and coughed.

"I've to go. Bye." She stood up and pushed Dawood away but she stopped mid way and walked back towards Dawood.

She was standing so close to Dawood now, her lavender scent filling him up with a sense of addiction.

"I'm Zee. Don't call me Zahiah ever!"

Zee said looking into his eyes with determination and walked back flipping her ponytail back.

Dawood didn't understood what had happened he just saw her retreating back and her dangling ponytail.

He couldn't design a straight graph of her personality. Because she was a Quite nerd one minute, a sassy girl the next moment.

"Pagal larki." Dawood muttered to himself and walked outside taking his documents.

(Mad girl.)

A smile was still grimacing Dawood's face.

•••••••••

Note~Hows it?

Do let me know your thoughts. I will update tomorrow as soon i get free from the doing after iftar dishes.

😭✋

My computer isn't working well and that's why I'm not able to update Rag e jaan but insha'Allah I'll update it as soon as it gets better.